Chapter 589: Passing Off Fish Eyes as Pearls |
Ning Qi acknowledged with a sound, then continued, "You'd better hurry up."
"Alright."
Xu Qingqiu nodded repeatedly, her illusory figure abruptly vanishing.
She had clearly gone to report the situation to her master.
"Master, if the situation is this serious, what are we doing here these past couple of days?"
"Are we just responsible for guarding this place for them?"
It was only after Pill Spirit saw Ning Qi put away the jade pendant that he thought of something. "This can't go on forever, right?"
"It's quite simple."
Ning Qi smiled, then continued, "We'll just go to the Demonic Race's lair, that's all."
Upon hearing this, Pill Spirit immediately furrowed his brow.
For them, this was indeed very dangerous.
The Demonic Race members they encountered outside earlier, although they successfully deceived them...
That was still an encounter outside, not within the Demonic Race's lair.
That was relatively safe, but going to their lair was a different story.
If discovered, they wouldn't even have a chance to escape.
Going to someone's lair is equivalent to barging into their mountain gate; even the weakest would have several experts stationed there.
If you want to cause trouble, you'd have to weigh the consequences carefully.
"It's fine. Don't forget, I'm half a member of the Demonic Race myself."
Ning Qi glanced at Pill Spirit, then shifted his gaze forward. "We discovered them from this direction before, so let's head this way and try our luck."
"Alright then."
Although reluctant, Pill Spirit could only agree.
"Let's go!"
After picking a direction, Ning Qi suddenly moved.
He leaped forward, soaring ahead.
He darted through the mountain ranges.
At first, there were no discoveries within these mountains.
Later on, gradually, a clue emerged.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Ning Qi stopped to observe, making Pill Spirit grow nervous as well.
He quickly asked about the situation.
"It's nothing. I'm judging whether we came to the wrong direction."
Ning Qi shook his head, then continued, "I sense traces of Demonic Energy erosion here, so we're probably on the right track."
"Hmm, I also feel something strange. Whatever can give me this ominous feeling must also be a sign of Demonic Race activity."
Pill Spirit also sensed around for a moment, then spoke with deep conviction.
"Alright, good, let's continue."
Ning Qi nodded, then continued rushing forward.
Soon, he arrived at the end of a mountain range.
Upon reaching this place, he stopped once again.
"Master, did you discover something else?"
Pill Spirit looked around in confusion. "But... there's nothing here."
"There are traces of restrictions here."
Ning Qi pointed at the spot, then said in a deep voice, "They can hide themselves through some kind of formation restriction."
"Otherwise, they would have been discovered by passersby long ago."
"Hmm, but are you sure it's here?"
Pill Spirit nodded, wearing a grave expression. "I feel it shouldn't be this simple. They must be in some underground cavern or similar place."
"Otherwise, even if there are restrictions, people patrolling this area would still discover them."
"What you say is possible, but I want to test it here first."
Ning Qi nodded again, then circulated the Demonic Energy within his body.
"Whoosh!"
As he circulated it, the Demonic Energy surged, causing waves of demonic flames to flicker around his body.
"Master, why is your Demonic Energy so dense now?"
This was the first time Pill Spirit had felt Ning Qi's Demonic Energy.
It could actually be this strong.
If he didn't know who Ning Qi was, he would truly mistake him for a member of the Demonic Race.
"This is from absorbing the Demonic Energy of the Demonic Race members I just killed, combined with the Demonic Energy I devoured in the Realm Sea and from the Distorted Monsters."
"It's not strange to have Demonic Energy of this level."
Ning Qi smiled and explained, "This way, I'm a full-fledged member of the Demonic Race."
"Yeah, if I didn't know the circumstances, I'd think you were a Demonic Race member too."
Pill Spirit nodded, saying with a smile.
"Good, then let's set off. I want to see what tricks are hidden here."
Ning Qi nodded, then stepped forward, arriving at the empty clearing.
The moment he appeared here, he felt as if he was being watched by something.
"Master, why do I feel like we're being watched by a wild beast?"
Pill Spirit shrank his neck, showing a hint of timidity.
"Your feeling is correct. There are fierce beasts here, and not just one."
Ning Qi looked around, then focused his gaze on a small hill ahead.
From there, several powerful auras continuously surged.
Simultaneously, that feeling of being watched also emanated from there.
"It's here."
Pill Spirit also looked over, speaking with great certainty. "Master, be careful."
"It's fine. Just a few beasts, they're no match for me!"
Ning Qi didn't care in the slightest, saying with a smile, "I'll go meet them. Maybe there will be some unexpected gains!"
"Alright! Then you must be careful."
Pill Spirit didn't stop him either, directly merging into Ning Qi's body.
He hid within his dantian.
"Whoosh!"
Ning Qi took a deep breath, then suddenly flashed and disappeared.
When he reappeared, he was already at the hillside he had just observed.
Standing atop the hill, looking down.
Sure enough, he saw several fierce beasts here. They were large and robust, baring their fangs.
Their entire bodies also had waves of black energy surging.
"Tsk tsk, they're Demonic Race fierce beasts, no wonder they're so strong."
Ning Qi clicked his tongue, then looked at the few murderous beasts. "Come, let me see how powerful you are."
His gesture of hooking his finger enraged these fierce beasts.
"Roar!"
"Screech!"
They let out furious roars, then charged flying towards Ning Qi.
The mud beneath their feet was trampled and sent flying everywhere. As they galloped, the entire small hill trembled along.
Waves of demonic flames also ignited, causing the air here to churn violently.
"Hmph, a few fierce beasts with True Immortal strength are indeed quite strong."
"Any unlucky person passing by would undoubtedly die."
"Unfortunately, you encountered me."
Ning Qi snorted coldly, focusing his attention on the leading fierce beast.
"Swish!"
The next moment, he suddenly vanished. When he reappeared, he was already riding on its back.
Ning Qi held the Chaos Sword in his hand, with strands of Evil Energy crisscrossing on it. He then viciously stabbed down at the beast's neck.
"Pfft!"
The next moment, the beast's neck was directly pierced through.
The previously ferocious beast directly collapsed to the ground, sliding out several dozen zhang before stopping.
When looked at again, it was already dead.
Scalding blood flowed, dyeing a corner of this small hilltop red.
"Roar!"
As this one fierce beast was killed, the remaining few also roared with grief and indignation.
They desperately charged over, determined to devour Ning Qi alive.
Their mouths full of sharp fangs were already prepared to pierce through him.
"Hmph, seeking death!"
Ning Qi snorted coldly, then suddenly made his move.
With a swing of the Chaos Sword, he directly cleaved another fierce beast in front of him in two.
A large shower of blood rain fell, and the massive body crashed to the ground with a thunderous sound.
The beast's blood splattered, its oppressive pressure startling the surrounding birds and beasts, causing them to flee in all directions.
"Roar."
At the same time, the remaining few fierce beasts also charged forward fearlessly, flying towards Ning Qi.
It looked like they were about to swallow him whole.
"Die!"
With a wave of his hand, Ning Qi's Chaos Sword was already in motion.
Under the crisscrossing sword energy, the surrounding void twisted.
"Stop! Retreat!"
And right at this moment, a sharp reprimand came from not far away.
Upon hearing this voice, the fierce beasts directly exploded backward in retreat.
It was as if they had encountered some dangerous figure.
Ning Qi glanced sideways towards the source.
He saw a middle-aged man walking towards him.
He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, with a burly physique.
However, Demonic Energy surged around his body.
Clearly, he was also a member of the Demonic Race.
After he arrived, the previously ferocious beasts all became docile.
It was as if they had encountered something terrifying.
"Young man, you are also a member of the Demonic Race."
The middle-aged man stopped, sizing up Ning Qi, and asked in a deep voice.
"Yes."
Ning Qi's reply was simple, also looking at the middle-aged man. "What's going on here? Why are you raising them here?"
Anyone with eyes could see these fierce beasts were under the middle-aged man's control.
"They are our watchdogs."
The middle-aged man smiled, then continued, "If members of the Human Race or the Immortal Race pass by, they can detect them immediately."
"Oh? So that's how it is. It seems I've offended a fellow clansman without knowing."
Ning Qi suddenly understood, clasping his fists and saying, "Senior, please don't take offense. I thought they were preparing to attack me."
"Young man, don't worry. Since you are a member of the Demonic Race, they won't actively attack you."
"Earlier, if you hadn't entered their attack range and proactively provoked them, they wouldn't have attacked you."
The middle-aged man glanced back, then continued, "Only when encountering enemies will they attack without hesitation."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't have even had the chance to approach earlier. The moment you emerged from the mountains, they would have already come to tear you to pieces."
"However, unfortunately, your strength is too great. Even if they attacked, they were no match for you."
"So that's how it is."
Ning Qi wore an expression of sudden realization, then continued, "Then I was presumptuous. But I just sensed Demonic Energy here."
"I thought I encountered fellow clansmen, so I came to check the situation."
"If I have offended in any way, please forgive me."
"Young man, you're too polite."
"We are all clansmen. What does the death of a few fierce beasts matter?"
"If we return, we can create dozens more in an instant."
The middle-aged man didn't mind at all, speaking cheerfully.
"Senior, then you are here..."
Ning Qi, curious, couldn't help but ask.
"Here? To be honest with you."
"I am stationed here."
The middle-aged man had already detected that Ning Qi was a member of the Demonic Race.
Therefore, he didn't avoid Ning Qi's question and directly responded.
"Oh? In this desolate wilderness, what are you stationed here for?"
Ning Qi pretended to be curious, continuing to inquire about the situation.
"Master, you're amazing. You actually deceived him."
Pill Spirit, within his dantian, secretly transmitted his voice.
"Hmph, I am currently a Demonic Race member. This isn't deception."
"This is straightforward. Otherwise, he would have discovered it long ago."
Ning Qi replied proudly.
"Young man, we have a clan here."
The middle-aged man lowered his voice, then continued, "There are formation restrictions here to prevent us from being discovered."
"Passing through here leads to an area with even more restrictions and formations."
"Without our clansmen leading the way, it's impossible to pass through."
"If one tries to force their way through, they will definitely be discovered."
"Oh, no wonder I felt something was off but couldn't discover the source no matter what."
Ning Qi nodded, wearing an expression of sudden realization.
"Young man, where are you from?"
The middle-aged man now looked at Ning Qi curiously, asking.
"I came from the outside world."
"Originally, I wanted to kill a few people here, then refine a batch of people to cause trouble here."
"But I just descended and encountered this place."
"Then I was drawn over."
Ning Qi lied without even thinking.
"Oh, so you came from the Realm Sea."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately understood. "Then, which region did you come from?"
However, he still wanted to understand the situation.
"I came from the depths of the Realm Sea in the fifteenth zone."
Ning Qi stated the location of his previous battle with Dao Bujin.
There were Demonic Race members there too.
"Oh, so it's from the barbaric borderlands."
Hearing this, the middle-aged man nodded again. "Since you've come, would you like to find some support?"
"Join us. Acting together with us in the future will be safer!"
He had already developed a desire to recruit Ning Qi.
He was also very clear about Ning Qi's strength; it was definitely not below his own.
Having such an expert join would be a good thing for them.
"Great! I happen to have nowhere to go!"
Hearing this, Ning Qi immediately became interested. "But, will your clan leader accept an outsider like me?"
"Haha, of course! You're not an outsider!"
"We are all Demonic Race members, no distinction between us. If you're willing, I can take you in right now!"
The middle-aged man laughed heartily. "Once you enter, with your strength, you will definitely be given a high position."
"I don't aspire to that. I just want to be able to act shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow clansmen!"
Ning Qi shook his head, saying seriously. "My clan was annihilated by the Immortal Race, so I've been wandering for a long time."
"Today, our meeting is fate!"
Hearing his words, the middle-aged man believed him even more.
"Yes, Senior. So, how should we enter?"
Ning Qi came back to his senses, asking curiously.
His pair of eyes looked forward, but he couldn't discern any clues.
This place didn't look like it could hide an entire clan at all, so there must be something extraordinary within.
"That's simple. I'll take you in later, that's all."
The middle-aged man said cheerfully. "Wait a moment. I'll call my brother over."